Plug-in relay



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\* PLUG-IN RELAY Filed June 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j;\ i I @l Z4@ 3?@ ivy/i j; fr? 19:'

INVENToR. Il* /f///)/WV? United States Patent O PLUG-IN RELAY Herman L. Van Valkenburg, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Square D Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June l1, 1956, Serial No. 590,441 i 12 Claims. (Cl. 20o-104) This invention relates to relays and more particularly to a relay having plug-in connectionsbetween the contacts and electromagnetic operating mechanism of the relay and a base portion to which electrical connections are made.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a two-part relay assembly with the first part having contacts and an electromagnetic operator therefor and the second section having terminals to which electrical connections are made to the components of the first section; the two parts being electrically interconnected by male and female connectors and being readily released from each other at said connectors into separate parts.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a relay having a design permitting the ready removal of the operating portions of the relay from the terminals to which electrical connections are made to the relay.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a simple and economically constructed plugin arrangement between a relay operating mechanism and a terminal section to which electrical connections are made to the relay.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a resilient strip contact carrier functioning also as a plug-in connector for the electrical control sections of the relay mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is a novel plug-in receptacle having a plug-in adaptor at one end and terminal connector at the other end.

Further objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawings illustrating a certain prefererd embodiment in which:

Figure 1 isa front elevational view, partially in section along the lines I-I of Figure 3, of the relay of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the relay of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation and partial sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of Figure 3.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are sectional views of the connectors providing plug-in adaptors at one end and terminal connectors at the opposite end.

The relay of the present invention constitutes an electrical contact and actuator section 1 and a base section 2 therefor. The electrical control and actuator section 1 includes an assembly of plurality of relay contact fingers and an electromagnetic actuator thereof, the contact v2,881,286 Patented Apr. 7, 1959 lingers being provided in any desirable plurality, herein as shown in Figure 1 in a combination of four and constitute flexible contact carrying fingers 3, 4 and 5 having electrical contact surfaces 6 mounted on one end thereof. The contact carrying fingers 3, 4 and 5 are disposed laterally across the contact and actuator section 1 of the relay in an evenly spaced fashion and are separated from each other by a plurality of strips of insulating material 7 functioning to maintain and align the contact fingers in the section. A pair of pins 10 through each of the grouped contact lingers 3, 4 and 5 passing into the insulating strips 7 provide for initial alignment. An operator of insulating material 8 is pivotally supported between contact fingers 4 and 5 on an insulating strip 9 and is provided with a pair of insulating bars 11 sandwiching the contact ends of the central contact fingers 4 therebetween at the end thereof away from the pivot on the insulating strip 9. A clamping rivet 12 extends through the pivoted strip 8 and the insulating strips 11 to maintain the contact fingers 4 in alignment and position with respect to the pivoted contact operator 8.

Adjacent to the contact finger portion of the relay an electromagnetic operator for the contacts is provided constituting a wound coil 13 surrounded by a substantially E-shaped laminated core 14 supported on insulating portions 15 and 16 constituting a part of the suporting base for the contact and actuator section 1 of the relay and aligned with those insulating strips 7 supporting the contact fingers 3, 4 and 5. An insulating piece 17 separates and spaces the insulating supports 15 and 16 and provides a limit surface at 18 for the operation of a laminated T-shaped armature 19. The bar of the T- shaped armature, as shown more particularly in Figure 7, operates within the center of the coil 13 and into magnetically cooperating relationship with the magnetic core 14 of the solenoid of the actuator. A pair of folded brackets 21 engage in notches in the sides of the core 14 and are connected by suitable screws through bent-out ears of the brackets to the insulating strips 15 and 16 for the support of the core and coil in the relay and function to secure the relay coil 13 against the upper faces of the insulating strips 15 and 16 to maintain the electromagnetic actuator sections of the relay in secure position.

An insulating strip 22 of generally T-shape having its leg extending adjacent to the legs of the T-shaped laminations of the armature 19 and sandwiched therebetween is provided with a symmetrical crossbar extension at the side of the crossbar of the T opposite to the leg with cut-out portions providing for vaccommodation of the clamping screws of the base section, to be more fully explained hereinafter, and for an interconnecting operator passing through a central cut-out 23 therein. The extension of the operator 22 operates within a narrow central slot 24 cut through the insulating strip 17 and establishes the alignment of the armature 19 with respect to the electromagnetic core and coil of the actuator.

Mechanical interconnecting means are provided between the electromagnetic actuator section and the contact section of the section 1 of the relay constituting a sheet metal strip 25 passing at one end through the slot 23 in the insulation strip 22 of the electromagnetic section and through a recess 26 in the insulating strip 17 perpendicular to the narrow slot 24 therein. The strip 25 passes through a slot 27 in the insulating strip 16 and through a tilted slot in the insulating strip 7 abutting against the strip 16. The operator 25 is folded in a substantially L shape and is riveted at its end 28 to the insulating strip operator 8 by suitable rivets in Figure 3 and is biased into a stable position by a helical coil spring 29 operating'with the slot 27 and on the face of the operator 25. The spring 29 is maintained in place by suitable spring guides on the base of the slot as shown.

27 and operator 25, not herein being specically iliustrated but of conventional design and known to those familiar with this art.

A pair of resiliently biased clamps 31 are provided one at each end of the relay mechanism and constitute a U-shaped bracket 32 and a folded operating latch arm 33 having a cut-out slot at 34 to be more fully explained in operation hereinafter. A resilient biasing means is provided for the latch 31 by a rubber insert 35 operating between the inner surfaces of the bight of the U-shaped bracket 32 and one surface of Vthe latch plate 33. The entire assembly of the contacts and actuator section l is secured together by a pair of clamping bolts 36 and 37 extending through folded out ears of the clamp bracket 32 and through aligned holes in the insulating sections 7, 16, 17, and in alignment with the cut-outs in the insulating operator 22 as shown in 'Figure 7 and adapted for the reception of a pair of threaded bolts operating to secure the components into a tight assembly. Insulating tubes 3S are provided for the bolts 37 and 36 and are adapted to isolate the electrically energized sections of the relay from each other. p

The base section 2 is composed of a suitable plurality of molded insulation sections 41, herein illustrated in Figure 4 as four, having a plurality of aligned, contiguous slots 42, 43 and 44 interconnecting plug-in recesses in terminal connector recesses in the insulating bases 41. The plug-in recesses and terminal recesses are associated in a manner to have recess 45 connected by slot 42 to terminal recess 46, recess 47 connected by slot 43 to terminal recess 48 and recess 49 connected by slot 44 to terminal recess 51. The four insulation sections 4i are secured together by a pair of pass-through bolts 52 and 53 provided with conventional locking nuts and are separated into a pair of pairs by an insulating strip S4 and insulated at one end by an insulating strip 55.

In each of the slots an electrically conducting strip is provided having an electrical plug-in adaptor at one end and a terminal conductor at its other end. The conductors are of different lengths with the conductor 61 in slot 42, the conductor 62 in slot 43 and the conductor 63 in slot 44. The terminal end of the conductors are provided with the conventional electrical terminal 64 having the conventional binding post and terminal screw. At the plug-in adaptor end, as illustrated in Figures 8 through 10, each of the conductors 61 and 62 and 63 are formed in a similar manner to provide a folded out end at 65 separated by a generally flattened surface 66 from the body of the conductor. Fixed to the body of the conductor by a rivet 67 is a second member 68 formed at its generally free end in an S shape and terminating in a folded-out portion 69s The second member 68 may be of electrically conductive material or may function only in a biasing manner to press a conductor tted into the adaptor into electrical engagement with the body portion 66 of the adaptor. The folded-out portions 65 and 69, being in diverging directions, sustain between themselves an opening into'which a plug-in conductor will be guided when directed toward the adaptor.

Each of the insulating base members 41 is of similar construction and containsI the required complement of conducting strips 61, 62 and`63 which are held in the re cesses in the insulating base portions by the snug fit of the conductors in the slots of the insulating members and by the pressed align-ment and secure fitting of the insulating members into the composite base. The central spacer 54 is provided with latch contours 71 and 72 at the ends thereof in cooperating alignment with the latch plates 33 fixed to the contact and actuator section 1. At the center of the insulating spacer 54 a shoulder 73 is provided in a position to be aligned with the recess 27 in the insulating strip 16 of the contact and actuator section 1 when assembled in latched position as the relay of the present invention. The shoulder 73 cooperates with the operator 25 to function as a limiting stop for the movement of the actuator section of the relay.

4 operator and thereby tion di the strip urea 4 and 5, the projecting fingere ai, d?. and $3 arev aligned with the recesses 45, 47 and 49 and, when the contact and actuatorv section '1 is positioned on the mounting base Z, are in electrically conductive engagement with the conducting strips 6l., 62 and 63 respectively through cooperation with the surface'66 sustained between the folded-out prongs 65 and 69. In Figures l, 3 and 6 the electrical conductors for the energization of the electromagnetic relay coil 13 are shown constituting a' shortened resilient strip 84 at each side of the contact and magnetic The strip 64 extends through the insulating spacers 7 in the same manner as the resilient strips 3, 4 and 5 and terminates in an entending prong in the same position as the extending prongs 83 and, as shown in Figure 4, constituting those prongs at the outward columns of the ligure. The strips 64 termi nate in an adaptor for the reception of a llexible lead 3S kelectrically connecting the strip 84 to the terminals S6 and 87 of the electromagnetic relay coil 13. In this fashion the energization for the relay` coil is provided through the plug-in adaptors so that the relay may be completely removed from the base section 2 without the necessity of disconnection of a separate energization conductor for the coil.

The operation of the relay of the present invention should be readily apparent from the preceding descriptive matter of its parts particularly directed to the plug-in facilities between the contact and actuator section i and the base section 2. Referring now to Figure 3 illustrating the contact and actuator section in sectional showing, it may be seen that when the relay coil 13 is energized its electromagnetic flux passing through its core 14 will attract the armature 19 and carry the insulation strip 22 in a rightward direction. Movement of the insulating strip 22 will initiate movement of the operator 25 through engagement of the free end of the operator in the slot 23 of the insulating strip and will cause pivotal movement of the insulating operator 8 in the contact section in a pivoting manner about the strip 9 on the rightward surface of the insulating spacer 7 as viewed in Figure 3. Biasing' spring 29 operating between the insulating strip 16 and the operator 25 maintains the insulating strip operator 8 biased against the insulating strip 9 to hold it in place in the contact section, and a cooperating guide slot on strip 9 and extending nger ,on the operator 8, not herein shown, maintains the operator 8 aligned within the relay. Movement of the operator 8 upon energization of the relay coil 13 will carry the contact 6 of resilient strip 4 from their normal engagement with the contacts of resilient strip 3 changing the relays contact combination from normally closed to normally open contacts. It should be noted from Figure 1 that the relay will provide two less normally closed contacts in its stable position of Figure 3 than it will provide in its operated position in the manner just described, this being due to the requirement that the outer resilient strips 84 provided for the energization of the relay coil 13 are provided in a space where resilient strips of the type of 5 would have been located. Under this condition, and with specific reference to the relay herein illustrated, the contact combinations provide two normally closed contacts in the stable position of the relay and actuator section 1 and four normally open contacts. This provides, of course, four normally closed contacts in the actuated position of the contact and acl.

tuator section 1.

Other and various combinations of contacts and any plurality of combined pairs of contacts may be provided in a relay ofthe construction herein shown, the limita tions being only on the ability of the electromagnetic comprising the composite relay.

section of the relay to operate successfully the combination of contacts spread out across the relay itself. For each group of cooperating contacts and resilient strips a section of base of the type illustrated in Figure 5 will be required to provide for the plug-in connection between the contact and actuator section 1 and the base section 2 While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, has many variations which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising; a relayassembly having an insulating support, a plurality of contact members extending from a top surface of the support and having male plug-in connectors extending from the bottom surface of the support, an actuator carried on the support operatively connected with certain of the contact members, a base for supporting the relay assembly, said base having; a top surface with spaced openings therein aligned with the male plug-in connectors, a bottom surface spaced from the top surface and a side surface extending between the top and bottom surfaces and angularly disposed relative to the top surface of the base and a plurality of connectors each having a female socket portion in the openings arranged to receive the plug-in male connectors and extending internally in the base to have a terminal connector portion accessible externally of the base from the side surface of the support.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact members are disposed in parallel rows on the support.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein a movable portion of the actuator is guided by the insulated support.

4. The combination as set forth in claim l wherein the actuator is electrically connected to male plug-in terminals carried by the support.

5. A plug-in relay bly having a the plug-in members, a base assembly by the portion of the support carrying the plug-in members, a side surface angularly disposed relative to the top surface and arranged to be vertically aligned with the portion of the support carrying the actuator when the relay assembly is positioned on the base, and a plurality of connectors carried by the base, each of said connectors having a portion at one end adjacent the top surface arranged to cooperate with the plug-in members to form a complete plug-in connection and a wire connector portion at the other end arranged surface to permit external connection of wires to the connectors from the side s'urface of the base.

6. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the connectors are arranged in tiers along the side surface which is inclined at an angle relative to the top surface so as to expose individually the tiers from the top surface.

7. The combination as recited in claim 6 wherein vertical barriers along the side surface are arranged to separate adjacent wire connectors in the tiers.

8. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the relay support is formed of a plurality of segments each of which are arranged to position more than one connector.

9. The combination as recited in claim 6 wherein the base has a bottom surface arranged for connection to a control panel whereby the side surface is accessible from the front surface of the control panel.

10. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the tiers of wire connectors are vertically and horizontally spaced along the side surface.

11. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein the plug-in members of the relay assembly are provided with a male portion and the portions camed by the connectors of the base are the female portions.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein the relay assembly and the base assembly are provided with cooperating interlocking means for releasably maintaining the assemblies in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS to be accessible from the sideA 

